Container for shirts

ABSTRACT

A rigid package suitable for accommodating an ironed or folded shirt, so as to protect it from dust and dirtying as well as from any creases or squeezings.

DESCRIPTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a package for the transportation and prevention of one folded and just ironed shirt, so as to allow to preserve the perfect pleat conditions while carrying the shirt in a suitcase or when storing it in a wardrobe or in drawers.

2. Prior Art

It is known that a shirt, placed inside a suitcase or a bag, in order to be carried, for example in the case of a travel, might crease, flatten, and crumple, so as to lose the orderly and pleasant appearance that is typical to a just ironed garment. Moreover, the shirt collar, which is projecting, is even more subjected to undesired squeezings.

Panels or rectangular cores, made of cardboard or thick paper, are known for years and are put inside the shirts to preserve their pleat; in these cases, a folded shirt might also be kept firm around the core, by means of strips, which surround it transversally. Said panels are typically used in laundries, with the purpose of keeping the washed, ironed, and folded shirts in an optimal pleat status, up to their delivery to customers.

Examples of cores like those described above, complete with properly shaped flaps to form a kind of covering for the shirt collar, so as to limit its squeezing, are also known.

Systems of this type are described in the USA patents U.S. Pat. No. 1,916,328, U.S. Pat. No. 2,266,115, U.S. Pat. No. 2,314,213, U.S. Pat. No. 2,581,696 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,723,025.

However, these systems are not suitable for the purpose of carrying a shirt inside a suitcase or a bag, first of all because they don't warranty a complete protection of the garment, which consequently might be subjected to dirtying and/or wear during its transportation; secondly, because the means used to block the shirt onto the folding core don't prevent possible movements of the shirt around the core, due to the stresses undergone during transportation, with the consequent formation of undesired creases.

Further, the core, being made of a material little resistant to stresses, might fold or break because of the pressures and shocks undergone during its transportation in a suitcase. For the same reason, also the collar protection is not very much effective, especially when the weight acting onto the shirt is significant, for example if many shirts are stacked one above the other or the shirt is put inside suitcases full of garments, which are consequently very heavy or compressed. In order to overcome the problems described above, packages or boxes made of plastic or other materials suitable for the protection of garments during their transportation inside a luggage have been realized for long time. Packages of this type, internally of which it is possible accommodate integrally a folded shirt, provide an effective protection from wear and dirtying.

USA patent U.S. Pat. No. 2,764,280 and International patents WO9912830 and WO0240380, or even Japanese utility model JP 61056276 U or French Patent FR 2721287, Canadian patent CA 209252, and USA patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,664,572 are some examples thereof.

However, a product of the type just described doesn't incorporate a rigid element around of which the shirt is folded, consequently such a product doesn't prevent the risk that the shirt crumbles and undesired creases develop during their transportation, because of the many stresses luggages usually undergo.

The problem of inserting a rigid core internally to a protective package has been tackled in GB 2305904, which describes a core formed of two panels bound to each other, by assigning the task of keeping the shirt in position to the spreading of the two panels; however, this patent doesn't tackle the problem of protecting the shirt from dust or from dirtying.

OBJECTS AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Therefore the main object of the present invention is to provide a package that allows to carry an ironed and folded shirt in a practical and safe way, by protecting it from dirtying and dust, and simultaneously preventing it from being damaged, creased or squeezed, both during its transportation in a suitcase and when storing it.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the product object of this patent application consists of three pieces only: an envelope or upper-shell (1), a lower bottom (2) sliding internally to proper guides obtained in the side walls of the upper shell, and a rigid core (3) around which the shirt is folded and remains inside the garment.

Conveniently the upper-shell (1) of the package object of the present patent application is provided with an appropriate projecting volume (15) suitable for receiving, internally to itself, the collar of a shirt inserted in the package.

In a particularly complete embodiment, the outer face of the upper-shell comprises a recess (16) suitable for accommodating the projecting volume (15 a) of a second shell, the latter being rotated by 180 degrees, both longitudinally and transversally, with respect to the previous one, so as to allow the accommodation of two packages of the claimed type, one above the other and to form a stack with the flat upper face and the lower face, thus saving space and making storage easier. The advantages of the present invention, as well as their technical characteristics, will become apparent from the following detailed description of an example of embodiment without restricting the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the present invention and shows the three main component parts, namely an upper-shell (1), a bottom (2), and a rigid core (3).

FIG. 2 shows the present invention in its fully closed position (A); specifically, the figure shows the upper-shell (1), including a projecting volume (15) and a recess (16), as well as the outer end (26) of the bottom (2).

FIG. 3 shows the present invention, its lower bottom (2) being partially extracted from the upper-shell (1); the figure shows the means (27) used to engage the lower bottom (2) to the upper-shell (1), in this case said engagement means consist of an elastic sheet (23) featuring a projection (29) at its end; the figure also shows one of the two longitudinal pads (21).

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the upper-shell (1) and of the lower bottom (2), the latter being partially extracted from said upper-shell (1); in this figure, the inner core (3) around which the shirt is folded is not visible; conversely, the figure shows the longitudinal slot (18) cut internally to the shorter side (14) of the shell (1).

FIG. 5 shows the inner core (3) featuring a protrusion (31) suitable for being inserted into the rear lapel of the collar of a shirt; the figure also shows the two side movable flaps of the protrusion (31), which allow to better fit the curvature of the collar.

FIG. 6 shows two different packages of the claimed type, arranged in such a way as to be stackable one above the other; the figure shows the projecting volume (15 a) of a second package about to be inserted into the recess (16) of the former package, the insertion direction being indicated by the arrows.

FIG. 7 is a top view of the present invention in the completely closed position (A); in this figure, the inner core (3) has not been inserted inside the package. The figure shows their respective dotted lines of two different cross-section planes, one transversal (section X-X) and one longitudinal (section Y-Y).

FIG. 8 shows a cross-section of the present invention identified by the dotted line X-X indicated in FIG. 7; this figure shows the cross-sections of the longitudinal pads (21) projecting from both long sides of the bottom (2) and their corresponding longitudinal guides (17) cut into the inner faces of the side walls (12) of the shell (1).

FIG. 9 is a detailed view of section X-X and shows the cross-sectioned profiles of a longitudinal pad (21) projecting from one of the long side of the bottom (2) and of its corresponding longitudinal guide (17) cut into the inner face of one of the side walls (12) of the shell (1). In this figure, the longitudinal pad (21) features a longitudinal widening (22), whereas the longitudinal guide (17) features a narrowing (19) which prevents said longitudinal widening (22) from going out, thus forming a kinematic pair featuring one degree of freedom.

FIG. 10 is a view of the present invention in the completely closed position (A), without the rigid internal core (3) cross-sectioned along Y-Y, according to FIG. 7. The figure shows the cross-sectioned profiles of the inner end (28) of the bottom (2), inserted into its corresponding longitudinal slot (18) cut internally to the shorter side (14) of the shell (1). The figure also shows the cross-sectioned profiles of the engagement means (27) of the lower bottom (2) which, in this representation, consist of an elastic sheet (23) with a projection (29) at its end.

FIG. 11 shows the rigid internal core (3) with the protrusion (31) just before being inserted into the rear lapel of a shirt collar, the side flaps being slightly folded to better fit the curvature of the collar.

FIG. 12 shows the rigid internal core (3) with the protrusion (31) inserted in the rear lapel of a shirt collar.

FIG. 13 shows the rigid internal core (3) with the protrusion (31) inserted into the rear lapel of a shirt collar, the shirt being partially folded around said internal core (3).

FIG. 14 shows a rigid internal core (3) with the protrusion (31) inserted into the rear lapel of a shirt collar, the shirt being completely folded around said internal core (3), hence ready to be inserted inside the package that is the object of the present patent application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a package of a modular type, featuring a substantially parallelepiped shape, suitable for accommodating and protecting a folded shirt.

The present invention can be conveniently embodied using a transparent, light, and resistant material, possibly a plastic material, so as to enable the user to see the shirt accommodated internally to the package, without being obliged to open it. The present invention basically consists of the following component parts: an upper-shell (1), a lower sliding bottom (2), and a core (3) to correctly fold the shirt.

The shape of the shell (1) is basically similar to that of a rectangle parallelepiped, without the lower base, hence consisting of an upper base (11), two side faces (12) which are basically specular to each other and respectively project from each of the longer sides of said upper base (11) and other two side faces (13, 14), projecting from each of the shorter sides of said upper base (11), respectively.

If said upper shell (1) is obtained by folding a properly shaped sheet of plastic material, then the edges in common to the upper base (11) and the side faces (12) are chamfered.

The upper face (11) features a projecting volume (15), suitable for accommodating, inside it, the collar of a shirt placed internally to the package, thus preventing the collar from being squeezed and improving the anchoring of the shirt to the package itself.

According to an advantageous embodiment of this invention, said upper face (11) is shaped in such a way as to form a recess (16) suitable for accommodating the projecting volume (15 a) of a second package, equal to the object of the present invention, turned by 180 degrees, both longitudinally and transversally, with respect to the former, thus allowing to stack two separate packages one above the other.

The bottom (2) is basically flat and features a rectangular shape; in its closed position, it makes-up the lower face of the package object of the present patent application.

Said lower bottom (2) is slidingly coupled with said upper-shell (1) by two prismatic pairs or, in a particularly advantageous embodiment, by two kinematic pairs, the latter featuring one degree of freedom.

Appropriate longitudinal pads (21), suitable for engaging their corresponding longitudinal guides (17) cut in the inner faces of the side walls (12) of the shell (1), project from both longer sides of said bottom (2).

Said longitudinal pads (21) and said longitudinal guides (17) are shaped in such a way as to allow the bottom (2) to slide from a completely closed position (A) up to a completely opened position (B) and vice versa, up to allowing a complete disconnection of the bottom from the shell. The sliding coupling of each longitudinal pad (21) with its respective longitudinal guide (17) makes-up a prismatic pair.

In an advantageous embodiment of this invention, said coupling can be realized by a kinematic pair, featuring one degree of freedom and such as to prevent the transversal disengagement of the pad from the guide; this embodiment helps to make the closed package stiffer, in that the bottom (2) counters the widening of the side walls (12) of the shell (1) when the package is squeezed.

The front side face (13) of the upper-shell (1) is shaped in such a way as to allow to insert the bottom (2).

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the outer end (26) of the bottom (2) comprises means (27) to engage the bottom (2) to the upper-shell (1) and to prevent the bottom (2) from sliding, once reaching the fully closed position (A).

Said engagement means (27) can be manually released to restore the possibility for the bottom (2) to slide outwards, thus allowing to open the package. In the completely closed position (A), the inner end (28) of the bottom (2) engages a corresponding longitudinal slot (18) cut internally to the shorter side (14) of the shell (1).

The internal core (3) consists of a rigid panel, featuring a basically rectangular shape, around which the shirt shall be folded before being inserted internally to the package object of the present patent application.

Said rigid internal core (3) features dimensions slightly smaller than the inner dimensions of said upper shell (1), so that the shirt, folded around said internal core (3), will get the optimal dimensions and shape to be placed internally to the package, without leaving any empty spaces at the sides between the garment's fabric and the walls of the shell (1) and filling the latter completely, thus avoiding possible side movements of the garment internally to the package.

Furthermore, the shape and dimensions of the said rigid internal core (3) and the inner shape and dimensions of said upper-shell (1) are such that, when carrying or displacing the package, the shirt is prevented from moving or sliding sideways, thus preventing the development of creases and/or fabric accumulations.

In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the internal core (3) might include, on one of the shorter side, a protrusion (31) orthogonal to the plane of the core, suitable for being inserted into the rear lapel of a shirt's collar, so as to hold the garment in position with respect to the core (3), both during its folding and during its transportation. Said protrusion (31) might advantageously feature two side moving flaps suitable for fitting the curvature of the collar into which it is inserted. 

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A rigid package for protecting at least one garment, said rigid package comprising: an external shell having at least two side walls, and at least one longitudinal guide defined internally to at least one of said side walls; a closing bottom slidingly coupled with said external shell via two prismatic pairs, each of said prismatic pairs including a longitudinal pad projecting from a side edge of said closing bottom, said longitudinal pad of at least one of said prismatic pairs being engageable in said longitudinal guide; and a rigid internal core; wherein each of said longitudinal pad features a longitudinal widening, and said longitudinal guide features a narrowing which prevents said longitudinal widening from going out, thus forming two kinematic pairs, each featuring one only degree of freedom.
 12. The rigid package according to claim 11, wherein said closing bottom further comprises an outer end, and an engagement means to engage said outer end to said external shell, which prevent any sliding once reaching a closed position.
 13. The rigid package according to claim 12, wherein said engagement means includes an elastic section with a projection at an end of said elastic section.
 14. The rigid package according to claim 13, wherein said projection is configured to make said elastic section bend when said closing bottom is about to reach said closed position, thus allowing a total closing of said rigid package and consequently said projection to move up internally to said external shell, so as to lock said closing bottom until an operator bends said elastic section to disengage said projection from said external shell.
 15. The rigid package according to claim 12, wherein in said closed position, an inner end of said closing bottom inserts into a corresponding longitudinal slot defined in an additional side of said external shell.
 16. The rigid package according to claim 11, wherein said rigid internal core has dimensions smaller than inner dimensions of said external shell, said dimensions of said rigid internal core are predetermined in order to reduce any empty side spaces between a fabric of the garment folded onto said rigid internal core and said side walls of said external shell.
 17. The rigid package according to claim 11, wherein said rigid internal core features an internal core protrusion that is substantially orthogonal to a plane of said rigid internal core and configured for inserting into a rear lapel of a collar of the garment.
 18. The rigid package according to claim 17, wherein said internal core protrusion features two side movable flaps configured for fitting a curvature of the collar into which said internal core protrusion is inserted.
 19. The rigid package according to claim 11, wherein said external shell features a projecting volume configured to accommodate a collar of the garment placed in said rigid package.
 20. The rigid package according to claim 11, wherein said external shell features a recess configured to internally accommodate a corresponding projecting volume of a second rigid package identical to said rigid package, thus allowing stacking of said rigid package and said second rigid package one above the other.
 21. A rigid package for protecting at least one garment, said rigid package comprising: an external shell having a first end face, a second end face opposite said first end face, at least two side walls, and at least one longitudinal guide defined internally to each of said side walls; a closing bottom slidingly coupled with said external shell via two prismatic pairs, each of said prismatic pairs including a longitudinal pad projecting from a side edge of said closing bottom, said longitudinal pad of said prismatic pairs each being engageable in said longitudinal guide respectively; and a rigid internal core configured to have the garment folded thereon; wherein each of said longitudinal pad features a longitudinal widening, and each of said longitudinal guide features a narrowing which prevents said longitudinal widening from going out, thus forming two kinematic pairs, each featuring one only degree of freedom; wherein said closing bottom further comprising an outer end, and an elastic section associated with said outer end, said elastic section featuring a projection configured to engage with said second end face of said external shell when said closing bottom is positioned at a closed position.
 22. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein said projection is configured to make said elastic section bend when said closing bottom is about to reach said closed position, thus allowing a total closing of said rigid package and consequently said projection to move up internally to said external shell, so as to lock said closing bottom until an operator bends said elastic section to disengage said projection from said second end face of said external shell.
 23. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein in said closed position, an inner end of said closing bottom is insertable into a corresponding longitudinal slot defined in said first end face of said external shell.
 24. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein said rigid internal core has dimensions smaller than inner dimensions of said external shell, said dimensions of said rigid internal core are predetermined in order to reduce any empty side spaces between a fabric of the garment folded onto said rigid internal core and said side walls of said external shell.
 25. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein said rigid internal core features an internal core protrusion that is substantially orthogonal to a plane of said rigid internal core and configured for inserting into a rear lapel of a collar of the garment.
 26. The rigid package according to claim 25, wherein said internal core protrusion features two side movable flaps configured for fitting a curvature of the collar into which said internal core protrusion is inserted.
 27. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein said external shell features a projecting volume configured to accommodate a collar of the garment placed in said rigid package.
 28. The rigid package according to claim 21, wherein said external shell features a recess configured to internally accommodate a corresponding projecting volume of a second rigid package identical to said rigid package, thus allowing stacking of said rigid package and said second rigid package one above the other. 